Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' family have been grieving following the heartbreaking death of Kirk Douglas last week, and have shared tributes to the Hollywood icon on social media. And on Saturday, their oldest son, Dylan, penned a lengthy message on Instagram as he paid his respects to his grandfather. The 19-year-old explained that it had taken him a while to find the right words, and how lucky he felt that his hero happened to also be a family member. Alongside a picture of Kirk, he wrote: "I have waited to write this post both because I find it hard to write but also because I find it impossible to capture the life and legacy of my 103-year-old grandfather."
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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas' son Dylan paid tribute to his late grandfather
Dylan continued: "Though I am deeply sad by the death of my dear pappy; all I know from my life is that I want it to be long and good. I know full well that the life of Kirk Douglas was the longest and greatest I have ever seen. They say don’t meet your heroes but what they don’t tell you is if you're lucky enough you can have your heroes be family - and pappy you are my hero and you always will be! I love and miss you and thank you for the immense impact you had on my life. I hope to live half the life and be half the man you are! Rest easy pappy, I love you!"
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Dylan and Carys with Kirk Douglas, his wife Anne, and their dad Michael
The teenager's younger sister Carys had shared a tribute to their grandfather last week, alongside a headshot of Kirk with a flower tucked behind his ear, while Cameron Douglas, Michael's son from his first marriage, shared two black-and-white photos of the Hollywood icon taken from the early days of his career, and wrote: "The King. You will be sorely missed, but your run was nothing short of perfection! There are no words adequate to express the Love and reverence that I feel towards you. Your legacy lives on through the ages; as will my connection with you."
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Kirk was a Hollywood heavyweight, working in cinema for over seven decades. He had 90 credits to his name - ranging from the 1940s to the 2000s. He is perhaps best-known for Spartacus, a Stanley Kubrick film which won four Oscars. Kirk himself was nominated for an Oscar three times; for Champion in 1949, The Bad and the Beautiful in 1952 and Lust for Life in 1956. Although he never won the coveted award, Kirk was honoured in the 1996 Academy Awards for 50 years as a creative and moral force in the movie industry. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Anne, and his three sons: Michael, Joel, and Peter. A fourth son, Eric, sadly died in 2004.
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